Fire extinguisher



Jan. 18, 19. J. E. TRAINER :TAL 459,743

FIRE EXTINGUISHER Filed Nov. 25, 1944 nvcrrkvw/ (JAMES ElV/RD TQNNER STERLING W. ALDEQFER 'Illlrllllllllllllllllllll l Patented Jan. 18,1949

FIRE EXTINGUISHER James Edward Trainer and Sterling W. Alderfer,

Akron, Ohio, assignors of one-half to The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio, and one-half to The Andrews-Alderfer Processing Co. Inc., Akron, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 25, 1944, Serial No. 565,168A

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to portable apparatus for use in extinguishing fires and is designed to make a more effective device for this purpose. The object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described which will secure a more complete, efcient and forceful delivery of the fire-extinguishing medium than has been attainable with previous devices of this nature. It is also an object of the invention to construct a much lighter and more easily operated device of this character than has heretofore been possible. The invention is'also useful as a portable spraying machine for other purposes.

Briefiy stated the apparatus consists of a cylinder or chamber which is adapted to hold a supply of the nre-extinguishing medium which may be a mixture of carbon tetrachloride and carbon di? oxide, or some other well known chemical extinguisher. Situated in the cylinder is a piston which is adapted to be forced toward the discharge orifice by the expansion of a compressed gas held in another container. While this container may be of any form, this secondary or pressure holding chamber is preferably in the form of a long coil of thin walled metal tubing which is desirably wrapped about the exterior of the cylinder so that a very large surface of the coil is exposed. This secures a very rapid and effective expansion of the pressure medium without any tendency of the medium to freeze due to the large surface available for heat exchange. While any suitable pressure medium may be employed, it is preferred to use liqueed carbon dioxide because the expansive force of this material is very great, but due to its rapid expansion this substance is very prone to freeze unless an unusual amount of surface is exposed for absorption of the necessary heat units from thesurrounding atmosphere.

Fig. 1 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation of a lire-extinguishing device made in accordance with the best known method of realizing the benets of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view looking at the underside of the device;

Fig. 3 is a. sectional view of a portion of the device, certain elements of the valve having been removed;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section through the trigger mechanism for releasing the pressure medium to derside of the container is closed by a dome.

shaped closure 2, the edges of which are welded or brazed to the lower inner wall of the container. If desired, strengthening ribs 4 are located about the dome. The upper end of the cylinder is also dome-shaped and is provided with a discharge orice 5 located in a connection 6 to which may be attached any suitable flexible hose 1. At the end of the hose is attached a spray nozzle 8 of any prac-tical or commercial design in which may be located the control valve I0 by which the extent and force of the spray may be regulated.

Located within the cylinder or chamber I is the dome-shaped piston I4 which is carried upon the slidable sealing ring I6 closely tting the inner wall of the cylinder. This piston is moved toward the discharge orifice by the admission of the compressed gas behind it. The entire con'- tents of the chamber ahead of the piston will be discharged when the piston reaches the upper or orifice end of the cylinder.

As noted above, any type of secondary chamber may be employed to house the compressed gas by which the piston is forced toward the orifice, wi-th a valve between the chambers, or a pressure medium holder may be located in the space behind the piston with any suitable meanaiqr releasing the medium. It is preferred, however, for the reasons stated to make the pressure chamber of a coil of thin walled tubing of relatively small cross-section. Such a tubing is indicated by the numeral 20 and is wrapped about the exterior of the cylinder l in a plurality of close coils or convolutions. One end of the tubing is sealed, while the other end projects through the lower wall of the chamber to Which it may be soldered, as indicated at 2|.

The discharge end of thetubing is secured by a coupling 23 in a valve housing 24 which is located within the base of the cylinder and is protected thereby.

The valve and valve housing may be of anyA suitable design, but that shown herein has been adopted as the most satisfactory form .of valve 3 for the purposes, and this will now be described.

The tubing discharges into a valve chamber 26 provided with a valve seat against which the movable valve 28 is held by the pressure of the uid in the tubing. The valve is -arranged to be moved from its seat by a plunger 29 which is guided in a screw-threaded plug 30 set in the housing 24. A packing 3| at the base of the plug seals the space around the plunger. The upper end of the plunger bears against the underside of a sliding block or valve actuator 34 which is reciprocable in a sleeve 35 held by screws 36 on the end of the valve housing. A coil spring 38 is located between the inturned edges of the sleeve and the top of the .block 34.

When the valve block 34 is at the upper limit of its movement, as shown in full lines in Fig. 4, the valve is closed and the spring 38 compressed, the device being held in this position by a trigger indicated in general by the numeral 40. In the form shown, the trigger is a substantially Y shaped strip of metal, the bifurcated ends 4| of which embrace the sleeve 35 and are turned inwardly to form fingers 42 which project through triangular slots 43 in the sleeve 35 and are adapted, when the trigger is in the full line position of Fig. 4, to project between the underside of the block 34 and the top of the housing 24 to hold the block in its retracted position against the force of the spring 38. A locking pin 44 is passed through the main or stem portion rof the trigger and a bracket 45 Welded to the side of the sleeve 35. A pull cord 4l connects the pin 44 and the trigger 40. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the plug 34 is partially .cut away to provide recesses 49 of a depth suflcient to receive the fingers 42 when the valve is to be opened. When the operator desires to open the valve so as to permit the escape of the compressed gas from the coil, he pulls on A the cord 41 which releases the pin 44 and rocks the axis of the valve body. A coupling 52 connects the passage to a T-block 53 from which extends the conduit 55 which is inserted in the closure 2 to which it is welded. At its inner end the conduit terminates in a lateral discharge opening 56.

It is desirable in devices of this character to provide for relling and replenishing the coil 20 and for this purpose a filling opening 51 is provided in the valve housing communicating with the valve chamber. A plug 58 is set in the valve housing at the opening 51, the outer end of which is closed by a cap 60. When the coil is being refilled, the conduit 55 should be closed to prevent the fluid from entering the cylinder, and for this purpose the removable Apin 62 is located at any convenient point, here shown as the T-coupling 53. Normally the short end of the pin 62 is threaded in the coupling so that the conduit 55 is unobstructed, as shown Iin Fig. 3. But before refilling, the pin 62 is reversed so that lts longer and pointed end enters and seals the lower end of the passage in the conduit 55.

It is desirable to be able to check at intervals the pressure inthe secondary reservoir or coil 20, and for this purpose a. gauge 84 may be provided at the side of and in communication with the valve chamber 26.

To facilitate the manipulation of the re extinguisher, a strap 65 may be provided which passes over the shoulder of the operator. Clips 66 anchor the strap to the two ends of the container.

In using the fire extinguisher, the operator carries it in horizontal position to the scene of the fire and with one hand releases the trigger 40 so that the valve immediately opens and the charge of compressed gas enters the cylinder behind the piston I4 and as the gas expands the piston is forced toward the discharge orice. other hand the operator manipulates the hose 'l and its valve I0 to direct the fire-extinguishing fluid into or over the flame. A complete emptying of the contents of the cylinder is assured when the piston reaches the top of the cylinder.

It will be seen that a. useful and novel device for extinguishing fires has been designed. It may, of course, be adapted for other uses such as spraying for more general purposes. The ejection of the contents of the container is complete and effective and the long, small cross-section, thin walled tubing exposes a large area which facilitates the rapid and complete expansion of the pressure medium without danger of freezing. The Whole device may be made of much lighter materials than existing designs of apparatus for like purposes. While the coiled form of pressure con` base'of the cylinder, the other end of the tubing being secured in the valve housing, a valve, a trigger to hold said valve in normally closed position but to open it to release the contents of the tubing, a conduit from the valve housing to the interior of the cylinder beneath the piston, and means to closethe conduit so as to permit the tubing to be refilled with pressure fluid without filling the cylinder.

JAMES EDWARD TRAINER.

STERLING W. ALDERFER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 749,374 Gates Jan. 12, 1904 1,500,946 Krauss July v8, 1924 1,866,151 Burnham July 5, 1932 1,918,191 Paulus et al July 11, 1933 With the f 

